The present invention relates to vehicle winches, and, more particularly, portable winches easily mounted to a vehicle.
Vehicle-mounted winches provide the ability to perform many useful tasks include loading or unloading trailers, removing debris or obstructions from the roadway, or moving a disabled or stuck vehicle.
Bumper or frame-mounted winches have been available for some time to perform such tasks. Bumper or frame-mounted winches, while often highly capable and rugged, justify their cost and complexity only if the owner anticipates frequent use. Also, the size and appearance of such devices often limits their use to trucks and some utility vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,962 discloses a front or rear mounted portable load-bearing winch. The winch is mounted to a drawbar having a receptacle at one and a stub at the other end and is used to pull loads onto a trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,139 discloses a device for connecting a winch to a box hitch. A winch connector comprises a winch end and a hitch-connecting end.
While these and other devices provide removable features to vehicle winches, they do not provide features that allow widespread use by the typical vehicle operator.
Therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a light-duty electrical winch which is small, light and attaches quickly to a component of a vehicle hitch.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hitch-mounted winch which is quickly and easily removed and stored in a vehicle storage space such as a vehicle trunk when not in use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a winch which is electrically powered from the vehicle electrical system, through existing electrical connectors, without wiring changes or special electrical fittings.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle winch which is low in cost and simple to use without requiring special tools, equipment or operator training.
The vehicle winch of the present invention comprises a retractor portion, a vehicle attachment fitting and an electrical supply system or connector. In the preferred embodiments, the retractor portion comprises a cable assembly retracted and extended by an electric motor-operated cable reel.
In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle attachment fitting is a ball hitch receptor similar to that found on trailers. The ball hitch receptor, mounted to the frame of the winch, accepts the ball hitch of a vehicle and allows quick and easy installation of the winch by a vehicle owner or operator. The ball hitch receptor also allows alignment of the winch frame with the cable of the winch when tensioned.
In the preferred embodiments an electrical plug or connector and electrical cable provides vehicle electrical power to the winch motor. The plug mates with one of several types of electrical receptacles or connectors common to vehicles. In one such embodiment, the electrical plug fits a standard cigarette lighter receptacle or accessory plug receptacle. In the preferred embodiments, a toggle switch, allowing extension and retraction of the load cable is wired into the plug. Such an arrangement allows operation of the winch from the vehicle operator position. An electrical cable wound on a spring-assisted take-up reel provides a simple method to extend and retract the plug from the winch.
Another embodiment utilizes an electrical connector that connects to one of several standard trailer lighting connectors typically found on vehicles with trailer hitches. Winch motor power is supplied from a terminal of the trailer connector which mates with the trailer light connector terminal normally supplying electrical power to the trailer lights when the vehicle parking or headlamps are turned on. Such an embodiment makes power available to the winch motor when the existing vehicle headlamp or parking light switch is turned on. In this manner, the operator may energize the winch motor to retract the load cable from the vehicle operator""s position by operating the appropriate existing lighting switch.
Still another embodiment utilizes a separate battery attached to the winch to provide electrical power. The battery may be a rechargeable type, or, it may be one-time use or emergency use battery.
In still other embodiments, a drawbar forms a frame of the winch and provides a vehicle attachment fitting. The drawbar fits the receiver portion of a vehicle hitch, allowing quick and simple installation. A toggle switch on the winch provides local extension and retraction of the cable.